


For reasons that did not need exploring at any juncture, they were stranded in Des Moines while the manhunt of the century went on without them.

by lipsum



Category: due South
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-05-28
Updated: 2006-05-28
Packaged: 2018-02-28 08:35:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2725787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lipsum/pseuds/lipsum





	For reasons that did not need exploring at any juncture, they were stranded in Des Moines while the manhunt of the century went on without them.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluebrocade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebrocade/gifts).



For reasons that did not need exploring at any juncture, they were stranded in Des Moines while the manhunt of the century went on without them. So Ray figured they should try a few restaurants, go to the carnival, maybe mini golf. Fraser liked the Ferris wheel and the clowns, but the fun-house was wasted on him, and the petting zoo made him sad. (“I suppose they aren’t poorly enough to suggest they’re being mistreated or neglected. But look at those eyes…”)

Fraser wanted to try the game booths. “No, no, those are rigged, it’s a waste of money,” Ray explained, but Fraser passed a dollar to the shooting gallery guy and took a place behind one of the mounted beebee rifles.

The first shot barely chipped the target. Ray watched as Fraser hesitated, then adjusted his stance so minutely Ray felt it in his own shoulders, tensing sympathetically, more than he saw it. On a single exhale, Fraser squeezed the trigger five more times, punching a neat hole in the center of five targets.

“Hey, ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!” the booth guy said, clanging a bell and baring his teeth at Fraser. He took a stuffed animal down from the shelf and thrust it at them.

“Thank you kindly,” Fraser said.

“Move along, sir,” the booth guy said, still showing his teeth.

Ray took Fraser by the elbow and steered him toward an ice cream vendor. “What are you going to do with a stuffed… what is that, anyway?”

“Well, Ray, it appears to be a marsupial of the genus. Er. Hmmm.”

Their path through the shifting crowd was blocked by a teenaged girl licking an ice cream cone who twirled her curls at Fraser and said, “I saw that. Nice shooting.”

Fraser put on his polite face. “Thank you, miss. Would you like a marsupial?” He held the thing out to her.

“Sure,” she said with an open-mouthed smile.

Ray just sighed, but Dief actually growled, which made Ray silently promise the fuzzball his own bowl of ice cream– until Ray realized that Dief was growling at Fraser.

“Oh, what is the matter with you?” Fraser said to Dief.

The girl and the wolf spoke at the same time, and what with the wolf and the merry-go-round music and the babbling crowd Ray couldn’t make out what she said, but Fraser finally got it, because he turned bright pink. So Ray put his hand on the back of Fraser’s neck and said, “Honey, let’s ride the Ferris wheel again.”

The girl (Dief was right, she was really too young, embarrassingly young) squeaked and retreated into the crowd.

Fraser blinked at Ray. “‘Honey?'”

Ray shrugged. “Got rid of her fast.”

“Th-that wasn’t very charitable, Ray, though she– oh look, is this an ice cream vendor?”

On their second Ferris ride, Ray put his arm around Fraser’s shoulder again. Fraser smiled out over the crowd.


End file.
